Grain-weigher



C. F. ELEMENTS.

GRMN wE|GHER.

APPLICATION FILED (101118. 1918.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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11! i 11H1" "n1 C. F. CLEMENTS.

GRAIN WEIGHER..

APPLICATION FILED ocT. IB. I QIII.

Patented Aug. 12,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES F. CLEMENTS, 'OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-WEIGHER.

Application led October 18, 1918.

To all whom it may concer/n.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. CLEMENTS, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Im provements in Grain-Weighers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to grain weighers. n

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide the grain weighing hopper with two compartments and a single cut-oli member for said hopper, whereby there may be a continuous discharge from the elevator head into the weighing hopper, thereby preventing backing up of grain in the elevator head, resulting in an increased capacity 1n the thresher.

The invention has for a further object to provide the weighing hopper with a double compartment, closed by a single cut-off member, and to provide a dellecting member 1n the discharge spout of the elevator, the same adapted to be actuated simultaneously with the operation of the hopper cut-olf member for directing the grain t0 the separate compartments for a predetermined period.

That the invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in whichz# Figure 1 is a side elevation looking at one side of the elevator and weighing hopper, with my improvements appliedthereto;

Fig. 2 is a view, similar to F1g.-1, partly broken away, looking at the opposite side of the weigher;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4: is a detail front elevation of part of the tripping mechanism,'and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the igures.

In the drawings 1 designates the elevator leg having a discharge spout 2. In the leg proper there is a bucket elevator 3 for receiving, elevating and discharging the material through the spout 2 into the weighing hopper 4. The elevating means may be operated from the head shaft 5 on which 1s a sprocket wheel 6adapted to be operated from any suitable source of power.

j The hopper 4' is hung or suspended beneath the spout 2 on the knife-edges 7 projecting from opposite sides of the hanger 8 to which is connected the arm orbar 9 pro- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Serial No. 258,707.

vided with a scale 10 and a slidable weight 11. Said hanger 8 is fulcrumed on the knife edge trunnions 12 projectin from opposite sides of the spout 2. The unctions of the parts just described are well known to those familiar with devices of this character.

In the discharge spout 2 there is provided a detlecting member 13 which is provided with trunnions 14; journaled in the opposite walls of: the spout, whereby said member may be moved into different discharging positions. One position being that shown in Fig. 3 and the other position being just the opposite of that shown. To one of the trunnions 14 is connected a crank-arm 15 and to said arm is attached one end of a rod 16, which has its opposite end connected to an arm 17 attached to the end of a crank arm 18 on the trip shaft 19 extending transversely of the machine and journaled in bearings located in the crotch between the leg proper and the spout. When the 1nember 13 is swung into the position shown in Fig. 3 the upper end thereof contacts with an inclined plate or shield 2() attached to the rear wall of the spout 2, which forms a continuation of the deflector and prevents leaking of grain behind the delector. When the member 13 is swung over into the opposite position from that shown in Fig. 3, the upper end of the member contacts with an inclined plate or shield 21 attached to the front wall of the spout 2, which forms a continuation of the deflector and prevents leakage of grain between said member and front wall of the spout.

The hopper 4 is divided by ya vertical wall 22, centrally located in the hopper, into two grain receiving compartments 23 and 24, and the discharge ends of said compartments are arranged to be alternately closed by means of a cut-off member 25 connected to arms 26 and 27 ou either side of the hopper'both of which, are pivoted to the hopper at 28, in alinement with eachother. To each -arm, 26 and 27 there is adjustably connected a rod 29, which, at their outer ends are pivotably connected to crank arms 30 carried on a cross rod 31. One of said arms 30 has an extension arm 32,' see Fig. 2, which has connected therewith a rod 33, also connected to the crank-arm 1S on the trip shaft 19. It is obvious that by means of the parts and connections described, when the trip shaft 19 is rotated that the deiector 13- and the cutoff member25 will be simultaneously operated. The deflector moving to a position to direct the grain from the spout 2 into the hopper compartment 'at that moment closed by the cut-0H' 25.

The tripping mechanism comprises a sprocket wheel 34 loosely carried on the trip shaft 19 receiving its power through a chain 35 driven by a sprocket pinion 36 on the head shaft 5. The sprocket wheel 34 has a ratchet-wheel 37 also loose on said shaft and adjacent said ratchet wheel and affixed to said shaft is a plate 38 to which, on the inside, is pivoted a pawl casting 39 adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet-wheel. A spring plate 4() bearing against the acting end of said pawl forces it int-o engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel when freed from the stop, hereinafter referred to. Having an adjustable connection with the pawl casting 39 is a stop finger 41 which engages with a stop 42 on the weighing hop` per, when said hopper is in its uppermost or normal position. In this position, the pawl 39 is out of engagement with the teeth on the ratchet wheel 37 but immediately as the hopper descends releasing the stop finger 41, the spring plate 40 forces the pawl into engagement with the teeth on the ratchet wheel which acts to clutch the ratchet wheel and sprocket wheel 34 to the shaft 19, rotating the stop finger 41 into the path of a stop arm 43 fulcrumed on the side of the spout 2. at 44, and said arm has pivotally connected therewith a rod 45 which is also connected to hopper 4. The descent of the hopper will draw down the rod 45, oscillate the arm 43 releasing it from the stop arm 41, resulting in a clutching of the ratchet wheel and sprocket wheel to the shaft 19, in the manner previously explained, and rotating therewith until the stop finger again engages with the stop 42.

In operation, with the parts in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the grain ele vated will be discharged into the spout 2 where it will be directed by the deflector 13 into compartment 23 of the weighing hopper. As soon as the weight of the material overcomes the weighted arm 9, the hopper descends releasing the stop 42 from the finger 41, when the pawl 39 is moved into en` gagement with the ratchet wheel 37, clutching it and the sprocket wheel to the shaft 19 and making one half revolution therewith, and during such revolution said shaft 19, through the connections described with the cut-olf 25 will swing it over and beneath the discharge end of compartment 24 in the hopper, releasing the grain from compartment 23. Simultaneously with the movement of the cut-ofil 25, as described, the shaft 19 through the connections described with the deiector 13 will oscillate the same, swinging it from the position seen in Fig. 3 to just the opposite position, whereby the grain, as elevated is immediately deflected from the compartment 23 into the compartment 24 of the hopper. One half revolution of the shaft 19 will bring the stop finger 41 into engagement with the stop arm 43 releasing the pawl 39 from the ratchet wheel 37 when the parts will remain idle, during which time the compartment 24 is filled and when the hopper again descends, the stop arm 43 is raised, releasing the pawl 39, when shaft 19 is again partially rotated to reverse the movement of the cut-off 25 and the deflector 13 to the positions shown.

It will be observed that during the successive weighing operations, the grain flows steadily through the spout 2, being deflected from one compartment to the other in the weighing hopper, to be weighed and discharged, all parts being positively actuated, no loss of grain, and increasing the capacity of the thresher because of the fact there is no delay caused by shutting ofi1 the discharge spout of the elevator during the weighing operation, as is the custom in ordinary weighers, resulting in the material .backing up in the spout and dropping back into the elevator leg.

I have previously stated that the rods 29 have an adjustable connection with the arms 26 and 27. These connections are best seen in Figs. 1 and 2 and comprise slotted plates 46 connected with the outer ends of the rods 29, in which operate blocks 47 connected with the arms 26 and 27. Through the opposite ends of the plates 46 are threaded the bolts 43 both of which engage with said blocks. It will be understood that by loosening one bolt 48 and screwing up the other, a shorter or longer connection is made between the rods 29 and said arms 26 and 27. This adjustment is to provide for a close fit of the cuteoff over the bottom of the compartments 23 and 24 and thereby prevent leakage.

What I claim is:

1. In a grain weigher, in combination, an elevator discharge spout, an oscillating member in said spout adapted to alternately direct the discharge 0f grain in opposite directions, a weighing hopper suspended beneath said spout, said hopper di vided into two grain receiving compartments, a. cut-ofi' gate adapted to alternately close the bottom discharge openings of said compartments,means for operating said cutoff gate, and means for actuating said oscillating member inthe discharge spout, simultaneously with the operation of said cut-ofi' gate.

2. In a grain weigher,"in combination, an elevator discharge spout, a weighing hopper suspended beneath said spout, said hopper divided into two grain receiving compartments, a gate for alternately closing the bottom discharge openings of said compartments, means for operating said cut-off gate, and means in the elevator spout for alternately deflecting grain into one hopper compartment and then into the other.

3. In a grain weigher, in combination, an elevator discharge spout, a weighing hopper suspended beneath said spout, said hopper divided into two grain receiving compartments, a gate for alternately closing the bottom discharge openings of said compartments, a trip shaft, means for operating said cut-0H' gate from said shaft, means in the elevator spout for alternately deflecting grain into one hopper compartment and then into the other, and operating connections between said shaft and said deilecting means.

4. In a grain Weigher, in combination, an elevator discharge spout, a weighted arm, a weighing hopper supported by said arm, said hopper divided into two compartments, a cut-ofi' gate for alternately closing said compartments, a stop member on said hopper, a stop member pivotally mounted on the elevator, connections between said pivoted stop member and said hopper, to be actuated by the lowering and raising of the hop er, an intermittently operated trip shafp, a stop finger associated with said shaft, said finger arranged during the operation of said shaft to be alternately brought into engagement with said stop on the hopper, and said stop on the elevator, and operating connections between said shaft and said cut-off gate.

5. In a grain weigher, in combination, an elevator spout, an oscillating member in said spout adapted to discharge grain from the spout into two different directions, guards on the front and rear walls of said spout, means for moving said oscillating member from the elevating mea-ns, and a weighing hopper suspended beneath said spout, said hopper divided into two compartments.

6. In a grain weigher, in combination, a discharge spout, a hopper suspended beneath said spout, a partition wall in said hopper dividing it into two compartments, a single cut-off gate for said compartments, and means for operating said gate at predetermined periods.

T. In a grain weigher, in combination, an elevator head having a discharge spout, a trip shaft journaled in said head, tripping mechanism associated with said shaft including a trip finger, a weighing hopper' suspended beneath said shaft, a stop on said hopper adapted to be engaged by said stop finger, a stop pivotally connected with said elevator head and adapted to be engaged by said stop finger, operating connections between said hopper and said pivoted stop, a cut-off gate for said hopper, and means for operating said gate from said shaft.

8. In a grain weigher, in combination, an elevator head having a discharge spout, a hopper suspended beneath said spout, a cutoff gate-for said hopper, a trip shaft, operating connections between said shaft and said gate, tripping mechanism associated with said shaft, including a sprocket wheel and a ratchet wheel loose on said shaft, a plate fast on the shaft, a trip finger pivoted on said plate and adapted to engage with the teeth on the ratchet wheel for the purpose of clutching the ratchet wheel and sprocket wheel with the shaft, a stop on the hopper to engage the trip finger, a movable stop on the elevator head to engage said trip inger, and means for operating said last stop from the hopper.

9. vIn a grain weigher, in combination, an elevator head having a discharge spout, a trip-shaft, means for operating said shaft, an oscillating member in said spout adapted to be moved to discharge grain in different directions, a crank arm on said shaft, and operating connections between said crank arm and said member.

10. In a grain weigher, in combination, an elevator head, a weighing hopper, said hopper divided into two compartments, a cutofi' gate for the hopper, a trip-shaft, a pair of crank arms, connections between said crank arms and said shaft, rods connected with said crank arms, and adjustable connections between said rods and said cut-ofi' gate.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand this 8th day of October, 1918.

CHARLES F. oLEMnNTs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for tive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

